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Tag: asia

  • AirAsia apologises for ‘Get off in Thailand’ advert

    AirAsia apologises for ‘Get off in Thailand’ advert

    AirAsia has apologised after its advertising campaign was labelled “harmful” in Australia. The advert containing the phrase “Get off in Thailand” was posted around the city of Brisbane to promote the airline’s direct route to Bangkok. Collective Shout, a grassroots campaign movement against the objectification of women claimed that the advert was promoting sex tourism in Thailand.

    Thailand has over 123,530 sex workers, according to a 2014 UNAids report.

    Melinda Liszewski, a campaigner at Collective Shout spotted the adverts on a Brisbane bus and posted the image to social media.

    She accused the airline of “promoting sex tourism.”

    A spokeswoman for Air Asia told the BBC: “AirAsia takes community feedback extremely seriously and the airline sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused from recent concerns raised.

    “AirAsia can confirm the advertising campaign has ended and we instructed our media partners to have the advertising removed as soon as possible today from all locations.”

    One of the adverts was spotted at Brisbane Airport. It has confirmed on social media that its removal “is a priority.”

    Brisbane City councillor Kara Cook branded the campaign an “absolute disgrace” and said “it should never have appeared on our city’s streets.”

    She wrote on Twitter: “Council should be responsible & accountable for the ads on their buses.

    “I wrote to the LNP this morning demanding these buses be taken out of circulation. This shouldn’t have happened.”

    In response to the criticism, Brisbane City Council said that the Advertising Standards Board regulates advertising acceptability. It directed complaints to the board.

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  • Telenor Pakistan and Alibaba Cloud come together to provide cloud-based services

    Telenor Pakistan and Alibaba Cloud come together to provide cloud-based services

    Telenor Pakistan, the country’s leading telecom and digital services provider has partnered with Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, to become the authorized distributor of Alibaba Cloud products and services in Pakistan.

    The signing took place at Telenor Pakistan headquarters ‘345’ where Dr. Alex Li, General Manager, South Asia of Alibaba Cloud and Sardar Mohammad Abubakr, Chief Digital & Strategy Officer at Telenor Pakistan, sealed the partnership.

    Through the partnership, Telenor Pakistan will be selling Alibaba Cloud’s suite of business solutions to local enterprises across the country. The collaboration will allow customer organizations to protect their business critical applications and data with world-class security as they choose to migrate to Alibaba Cloud.

    In today’s increasingly digital world and exploding data needs, organizations are fast moving to cloud services instead of buying and managing physical servers to have their data management and security needs met. Processing data in the cloud also means that as the business grows, it can keep up with increased traffic.

    Alibaba Cloud provides cloud computing products in computing, database management, networking, security, and storage that can be deployed globally. The service delivers superior results in all product capabilities ranging from computing, user & network management, and security & compliance to scaling, developer services, enterprise integration and management tools.

    Telenor Pakistan’s partnership with Alibaba Cloud will provide a gateway to facilitate the cloud market in the country and in a fast evolving landscape, enable businesses to robustly manage their data management and digital transformation needs” said Sardar Mohammad Abubakr, Chief Digital & Strategy Officer at Telenor Pakistan.

    “We are happy to partner with one of Pakistan’s top digital service providers for distribution of our suite of cloud products and services in the country,” said Dr. Alex Li, General Manager, South Asia of Alibaba Cloud. The partnership will further our vision of fostering the development of cloud market in Pakistan and help the country move faster towards its digital transformation goals,” he added.

    Through this partnership Telenor Pakistan will be providing Alibaba Cloud’s services exclusively to its business customers to further their scale, accuracy in analytics and business security.

     

     

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    Press Contact

    Anam Abbas

    Corporate Communications, Telenor Pakistan

    [email protected]

     

     

    About Telenor Pakistan

    Telenor Pakistan is 100% owned by Telenor Group and has a footprint spanning throughout the country. With a subscriber base of over 44 Million, it is the second largest mobile operator in Pakistan. Telenor launched its operations in Pakistan in 2005 and has a workforce of over 1,600 employees. For more information, please visit: www.telenor.com.pk

     

    About Alibaba Cloud

    Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud (www.alibabacloud.com), the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, is among the world’s top three IaaS providers, according to Gartner, and the largest provider of public cloud services in China, according to IDC. Alibaba Cloud provides a comprehensive suite of cloud computing services to businesses worldwide, including merchants doing business on Alibaba Group marketplaces, start-ups, corporations and government organizations. Alibaba Cloud is the official Cloud Services Partner of the International Olympic Committee.

     

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  • Third Decathlon Hong Kong store will be its largest in HK

    Third Decathlon Hong Kong store will be its largest in HK

    The third Decathlon Hong Kong store set to open in June will be the French sports retailer’s largest in the territory yet.

    Scheduled to open on June 15, the 72,000sqft store will be located at Sheung Tak Plaza in Tseung Kwan O.

    What sets apart the new store is that half the space is outside, a 36,000sqft combination of practice spaces where customers can try out sports products and footwear for themselves. Decathlon says the practice area will cover 70 sporting disciplines, including badminton, tennis, basketball, hiking, football, running, yoga and even a ski-testing area.

    “At Decathlon, we want to make sure sport is accessible to the many through high-quality products at competitive prices, with the outdoor terrace providing a place for sports users to play and really test our products before they buy,” said Decathlon Hong Kong chief Marc Zielinski.

    “We are all aware of the importance of exercise for better mental and physical health but at the same time, we understand sports engagement can be a heavy financial burden to some,” he said.

    The new store will feature multiple 50” LED screens promoting Decathlon’s range of more than 13,000 products.

    Customer engagement among sports people will be encouraged with advice and training for various codes, including in-store classes.

    Decathlon Hong Kong launched in August 2017 with a store in Causeway Bay, adjacent to Ikea, and another in Mong Kok. The company has more than 1500 stores worldwide and plans to make its debut in the US in the coming months.

  • JK Tyre Enters Limca Book Of Records With India’s Largest Off-Road Tyre

    JK Tyre Enters Limca Book Of Records With India’s Largest Off-Road Tyre

    Defining upsizing in an all new way, tyre maker JK Tyre has entered the Limca Book of Records with India’s largest off-road tyre. The 40.00-57 VEM 045 was launched in 2014 and stands at 12 feet tall while weighing around 3.4 tonnes. Before off-roaders get their hopes up about upsizing their SUVs, the VEM 045 has been specifically developed for the country’s biggest rigid dump truck that has a payload capacity of up to 240 tonnes.

    Commenting on the occasion, JK Tyre and Industries Ltd – Marketing Director, Vikram Malhotra said, “JK Tyre has been at the forefront of driving innovation in the Indian tyre industry and recognition from the Limca Book of Records is clearly reflective of our unwavering efforts in that direction. The VEM 045 has been widely appreciated for its sturdiness and functionality over these years. We are thrilled and further encouraged to introduce more such category-defining products and solutions in the future.”

    The JK Tyre VEM 045 is sold alongside a range of tyre options from the tyre maker. The company has been the pioneer of developing radial tyres in India and last year inaugurated a new and massive research and development centre in Mysore, Karnataka, which will be consolidating all of the company’s efforts globally to develop new products. JK Tyre’s range comprises passenger vehicles as well as industrial and mining segments.

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  • Telenor Pakistan CEO to lead Telenor Group’s Emerging Asia Cluster

    Telenor Pakistan CEO to lead Telenor Group’s Emerging Asia Cluster

    Telenor Group today announced that effective 1 April, 2019, Irfan Khan, CEO of Telenor Pakistan, will assume additional leadership role as Telenor Group Executive Vice President and Cluster Head for Emerging Asia, joining Telenor Group’s Executive Management Team.

    “Irfan Khan is a valued leader within Telenor Group and has an accomplished history at Telenor Pakistan. I am pleased that he will take lead over our important growth markets in the Emerging Asia Cluster, in addition to retaining his role as Chief Executive Officer of Telenor Pakistan,” says Sigve Brekke, President and CEO of Telenor Group. “I am confident that Irfan will continue to lead our dedicated and talented teams to success, connecting the cluster’s more than 130 million customers with services that matter to them and creating value for our shareholders. I’d like to also thank Irfan’s predecessor in this role, Petter-Børre Furberg, for his leadership and achievements across our Asia region over the last several years.”

    In becoming Head of Telenor Group’s Emerging Asia Cluster, Irfan Khan will join Telenor Group’s Executive Management Team and will report directly to Telenor Group President and CEO, Sigve Brekke. Petter-Børre Furberg will become CEO of Telenor Norway and step out of Telenor Group’s Executive Management.

    Irfan Wahab Khan was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Telenor Pakistan on 1 August 2016. He had served in the position of Deputy CEO and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Telenor Pakistan since April 2013. He has been with Telenor for 14 years and was the first employee in Telenor Pakistan when he started as Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs Division in 2004. Since then he has served in various positions within Telenor Group both in Asia and Europe, including Vice President Devices and Vice President – Head of Asia Distribution. Mr. Khan is also a Board Member of Telenor Microfinance Bank.

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  • SkyPixel Announces Winners Of Its 2018 Aerial Storytelling Contest

    SkyPixel Announces Winners Of Its 2018 Aerial Storytelling Contest

     SkyPixel, one of the world’s most popular aerial photography community, announced the winners of its 2018 Aerial Storytelling Contest. Co-organized with DJI, this year’s contest attracted over 30,000 submissions from professional photographers, videographers, aerial enthusiasts and content creators from 141 countries.

    The Video Category grand prize winner Ain Raadik shared a collection of adventures from his travels across New Zealand, Japan & around his home in Australia. “For me drones are an incredible film making tool that help me to further share the ideologies behind my work through new and unique perspectives,” said Raadik. “Instead of staying put in one place, my life stories are being told through accumulating explorations of new places with my Inspire 2. Passions for film making, testing physical limits and exploring new locations are all heavily influential factors behind my work. And I hope everyone would find their own passion in life and stick to it.”

    The grand prize winner in the Photo Category Deryk Baumgartner used his Mavic Pro to capture the sun-bathed monastery rising out of fog, framed by the ribbons of water on Mont Saint Michel in northern France. “I was sitting on a rock fighting with stubborn wind and thick rain for the whole morning. The sun came up when I was just about to stand up and go home,” Baumgartner said. “This photo tells a simple story of you and me. Stick to it for a little longer in life when you are just about to fold, the silver lining would often unveil itself.”

    In addition to the Grand Prize Winners, there were also First, Second and Third Prizes in the travel, sports, urban life, nature and creativity categories. From football match on Lofoten islands to morning prayer in Bagan to the dazzling traffic in Bangkok, the winning submissions captured amazing stories that took place in different parts of the globe.

    This year, the judging panel included a jury of award-winning directors, photographers and influencers, including Toby Strong, famous documentary photographer who has won many Emmy and BAFTA awards, and Ben Nott, one of Australia’s most prestigious DP and an ACS member.

    Every year, SkyPixel organizes aerial photo and video contests to call on creators around the world to share their artwork and stories captured from above. This contest marked the inaugural celebration for both photographers and videographers to come together in a single event.

  • Adidas Test to Sell Shoes Made of Ocean Plastic was So Successful

    Adidas Test to Sell Shoes Made of Ocean Plastic was So Successful

    Adidas has spent the last four years curbing ocean pollution by recycling plastic beach waste into shoes – and because their customers have been so eager for the product, the company is kicking it up a notch. Adidas produced more than five million pairs of recycled plastic waste shoes in 2018, and they plan to incorporate the waste into at least 11 million this year.

    The upcycled plastic waste is made into a yarn which has since become a key component of the upper material of Adidas footwear. In addition to shoes, the company has also used it to make the first ever football jerseys made from recycled materials.

    The sporting goods manufacturer first started making the shoes in collaboration with environmental group Parley for the Oceans back in 2015. They developed the slick kicks using plastic waste intercepted on beaches, such as the Maldives, before it can reach the oceans. The Parley shoes are recreated from editions of their UltraBoost shoe, and a new version of their Adidas Originals shoe.

    And, in 2016, Adidas stores stopped using plastic bags.

    “We also continue to improve our environmental performance during the manufacturing,” said Gil Steyaert, who is responsible for global operations. “This includes the use of sustainable materials, the reduction of CO2 emissions and waste prevention.

    “In 2018 alone, we saved more than 40 tons of plastic waste in our offices, retail stores, warehouses and distribution centers worldwide and replaced it with more sustainable solutions.”

    Additionally, Adidas is committed to using only recycled polyester in every product and application where a solution exists by 2024. As a founding member of the Better Cotton Initiative, Adidas meanwhile sources only sustainably produced cotton.

    Recently, Adidas signed the Climate Protection Charter for the Fashion Industry at the UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland—and agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% before 2030.

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  • Habitat by Honestbee expands choices

    Habitat by Honestbee expands choices

    Habitat by Honestbee has added two new outlets to its 15 existing eateries.

    The first, Hama Hama, is a seafood bar with Asian-centric small plates and a seasonal sharing menu, with oysters at its core.

    The second new offer is B Bar, located near the liquor aisle and serving classic drinks along with cocktails featuring local and Asian flavours. Mocktails are also available.

    Honestbee, the online grocery-delivery service, opened its 60,000sqft Habitat last November.  The full-scale supermarket hosts more than 20,000 Asian and global foods and ingredients as well as daily essentials, which can be purchased both online and offline.

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  • Deliveroo Presents Hong Kong’s First Rider Restaurants Award

    Deliveroo Presents Hong Kong’s First Rider Restaurants Award

     Celebrating the collaboration between riders and restaurants, the backbone of Hong Kong’s food delivery industry, Deliveroo has launched the new Rider Restaurants Award. This is a first-of-its-kind initiative, promoting the spirit of hospitality and asking riders in every Hong Kong district to vote for their favourite restaurants to work with.

    The unique teamwork between riders and restaurants is fundamental to Deliveroo’s mission to bring a huge variety of delicious food direct to people’s doors. In the first ever Rider Restaurants Award, riders in Hong Kong have voted for their favourite restaurants based on criteria such as the courtesy and friendly attitude of staff, order preparation time, and being offered extra hospitality touches such as a glass of water or access to a phone charger.

    Brian Lo, General Manager of Deliveroo Hong Kong, said, “The Rider Restaurants Award are yet another fantastic way for Deliveroo to support the thriving growth of food delivery in Hong Kong. We’re thrilled to shine the spotlight on the symbiotic relationship between Deliveroo riders and restaurants, recognizing their joint efforts to bring fresh, tasty meals to people in Hong Kong, fast. With Deliveroo, restaurants get more customers, riders get well-paid and flexible work, and everyone can enjoy more access to great dining options.”

    A total of 975 votes were received, representing nearly half of the Deliveroo fleet. Key findings include:

    • Amongst winning restaurants, the average prep time from when an order is received to when it’s ready for delivery is 7.6 minutes
    • 20 out of the 23 winning restaurants offer an order prep time under 10 minutes
    • Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai Pan-fried Buns (Central), Marugame Seimen (Kowloon Bay) and Pak Don (Yau Tong) boast the fastest order prep times, at 4.6, 4.9 and 5.3 minutes, respectively
    • In terms of how long riders must wait once they arrive to a restaurant, on average, 83.8% of riders enjoy 5-minute-or-less waits across all winning restaurants
    • McDonald’s (Wan Chai) wins on snappy service, with more than 96% of riders saying their wait time is under 5 minutes
    • All winning restaurants offer a wait time of under 5 minutes to at least 60% of riders

    Drawing top scores from Deliveroo riders, the winning restaurants in Deliveroo’s first Rider Restaurants Awards received their trophies from Deliveroo this week. They are:

    Hong Kong Central:

    • La Rotisserie
    • McDonald’s
    • Eric Kayser

    Hong Kong Island East

    • The Night Market
    • Ki’s Roasted Goose Restaurant
    • McDonald’s

    Hong Kong Island South

    • Viet’s Choice
    • GCX
    • Tam’s Shop
    • Meen & Rice
    • Shanghai Lao Lao

    Hong Kong Island West

    • Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai Pan-fried Buns
    • BEP Vietnamese Kitchen

    Kowloon Central

    • Dumpling Pro
    • King of Sheng Jian

    Kowloon East

    • Marugame Seimen
    • PakDon Yau Tong
    • Viet’s Choice

    New Territories East

    • California Pizza Kitchen
    • KTS

    New Territories West

    • Crystal Jade Jiang Nan
    • FOODBOX

    Furthering the company’s commitment to support Hong Kong’s burgeoning food delivery industry and bring added value to partners and customers wherever possible, Deliveroo collected a number of learnings during the awards process. These have been collated into a list of insights on which restaurant hospitality practices make the biggest difference to riders. These practices can deliver a higher quality of service and a better experience for riders, restaurants and customers alike. Key points from the winning restaurants include:

    • Treating riders and walkers with the same level of warm, welcoming service as customers
    • Encouraging hospitality training for staff, e.g. courses conducted by the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency
    • Double checking orders for delivery to ensure they have been correctly prepared
    • Being ready to give prepared meals to riders as soon as they arrive

    Brian Lo added, “Leading the Riders’ Restaurants Awards has been an amazing opportunity to learn more about how restaurants in Hong Kong can deliver the best hospitality experience, whether interacting with guests in person or working with delivery riders to reach hungry customers at home. In Hong Kong’s highly competitive F&B market, cultivating the right service philosophy can help restaurants stand out from the crowd and win lasting loyalty from guests – whether they’re eating in or ordering takeaway from Deliveroo.”

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  • First UFC Gym opens at CityLink Mall, Singapore

    First UFC Gym opens at CityLink Mall, Singapore

    UFC Gym Singapore has opened its first branch at CityLink Mall.

    The gym has been opened under a franchise agreement with local operator NF Fitness, which is planning to expand to 15 gyms during the next decade.

    “We will have access to best-qualified coaches, as well as top-notch gym-training equipment,” said Barnabas Huang, UFC Gym Singapore’s MD.

    The gym aims to combine MMA and fitness, including functional workouts (Daily Ultimate Training, TRX Suspension Training), MMA classes (boxing, kickboxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay thai) as well as group fitness classes (Zumba and yoga).

    It has gained more than 300 members since pre-sales began in January and about 1500 more are being targeted.

    UFC Singapore may face competition from other MMA academies in Singapore, such as Evolve MMA, Juggernaut Fight Club, Fight G and Impact MMA.

    The American gym chain already has more than 160 gyms in more than 14 countries.

  • Athleisure trend boosts Yue Yuen sales in 2018

    Athleisure trend boosts Yue Yuen sales in 2018

    Yue Yuen Industrial, the world’s largest manufacturer of athletic, athleisure, casual and outdoor footwear, boosted revenue by 6.3 per cent last year.

    Yue Yuen makes shoes for a raft of brands, including Geox, Levi’s, Rockport, Carters and Pony. Its subsidiary Pou Sheng operates a network of some 5500 directly operated stores and 3000+ sub-distributor stores, predominantly on the mainland.

    For the year to December, the Group recorded revenue of US$9.695 billion, with gross profit up by 4 per cent to $2.446 billion. However, profit attributable to shareholders fell 40.9 per cent to $307.1 million, mainly due to operating deleverage within the manufacturing business, a reduction of the non-recurring gain for the year, and higher finance costs.

    Yue Yuen said revenue attributed to footwear manufacturing (including athletic shoes, casual/outdoor shoes and sports sandals) declined by 1.5 per cent to $5.39 billion, whereas the volume of shoes produced increased by 0.4 per cent to 326 million pairs. The average selling price decreased by 2 per cent to $16.53 per pair, compared with the previous year.

    The group’s athletic footwear category outperformed all other categories as a result of the global athleisure trend, accounting for 79.2 per cent of footwear manufacturing revenue last year. Casual and outdoor shoes accounted for 19.1 per cent of footwear manufacturing revenue.

    The group’s distribution sales are derived primarily from Pou Sheng, involving in retail operations for international sporting goods brands in the Greater China region. Last year, the revenue attributable to Pou Sheng grew by 23.3 per cent to $3.422 billion.

  • Jollibee Malaysia makes debut

    Jollibee Malaysia makes debut

    Jollibee Malaysia has opened its first outlet – in the beachside city of Kota Kinabalu. CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong said opening in Malaysia marked a new chapter for the group.

    “We invite Malaysians to come and see for themselves why people line up for hours.”

    Jollibee Foods head of international business, Dennis Flores, said Jollibee is beloved throughout Asia, because it appeals to diverse tastes and cultures.

    “This has propelled us to become the fastest-growing Asian restaurant company, and we are thankful for the overwhelming support. It drives us to do better for our customers, and to continue to serve delicious food with our signature warm service.”

    The Jollibee Malaysia opening follows the brand’s recent expansion into London and Manhattan as its rapidly expands its global store network to surpass 4300.

    After making its debut in the capital of Sabah, Jollibee Malaysia plans further outlets in major cities across the country.

  • The Alley Singapore to open two more outlet stores

    The Alley Singapore to open two more outlet stores

    Taiwanese bubble tea chain The Alley Singapore is opening two outlets in mid-April.

    The first of a new global concept called The Alley Luxe is set to open in Cineleisure. The concept carries what the brand describes as its finest collection of beverages on a curated menu distinctive to Singapore.

    The outlet will offer European baked treats such as croissants, ‘cruffins’ and Kouign-amann. Customers can opt for take-away, or dine-in while enjoying a view over Orchard Road.

    The Alley Luxe

     

    The second outlet will be launched in Jewel Changi Airport about the same time.

    Having opened its first outlet in 2013, The Alley now has more than 300 stores around the world.

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  • PopSquare pops up at Mong Kok

    PopSquare pops up at Mong Kok

    AI pop-up store platform PopSquare is now installed at TOP Mall in Mong Kok.

    The kiosk, which stocks a variety of fashionable and designer international products targeted at young adults and couples, uses big data and AI technology to collect customer responses to products on sale.

    The Mong Kok PopSquare kiosk features a new interactive game – “Grab Grab Fun” – via the kiosk’s touch screen. The game serves to draw customer attention and increase engagement while building a customer database for future marketing and product pre-launch testing initiatives.

    PopSquare rotates at different locations from time to time to extend its reach to potential consumers.

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  • Myer axes 50 management staff and fresh marketing lead

    Myer axes 50 management staff and fresh marketing lead

    Myer has cut a further 50 positions from its store management and store support team, including group general manager of marketing Andrew Egan. The cuts are the second round of large scale lay-offs for the department store in the last eight months, with over 30 executive positions cut last August, in order to reduce costs and barriers between the business and its customers – bringing the total number of executives lost within the last year in the realm of 80.

    “We have to place the customer first, in every decision we make and every action we take,” a Myer spokesperson said.

    “From doing a thorough review of our entire store management structure and a further review of the store support office… as a result of this, a number of administrative and management roles will be leaving the business to align our structure more closely with our customers.”

    No customer facing team members have been affected by the cuts.

    According to the spokesperson, this will enable the business to operate in a more efficient manner, improving the financial performance and shareholder value delivered.

    Myer recently posted a rise in net profit for the first half FY19, increasing 3.1 per cent to $41.3 million, signalling that the brand’s customer-first turnaround strategy has some legs.

    The retailer improved store layouts over the half-year, and launched the ‘My Store’ marketing campaign, which chief executive John King said had been received well by customers.

    Despite this, Egan, who led the launch of the ‘My Store’ campaign, as well as the department store’s recent Christmas campaign, has been let go in this recent round of lay-offs.

    “We thank Andrew for his contribution to Myer and particularly to our marketing and advertising team,” the spokesperson said. “We wish him all the best for the future.”

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